


Part of the Pack

by Sylvan_Scout



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Gen, No Beta We Die Like Clones, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylvan_Scout/pseuds/Sylvan_Scout
Summary: There was a difference, Anakin thought, between knowing andknowing.Intellectually, he was aware that Mandalorians, and by extension the clones, were different from most sentient species. They could change their shape, from one form that was almost human, to one that resembled scaled down versions of Loth-wolves. Animals given human form, some said.Meeting the clones was still a shock.An AU in which the clones can turn into wolves.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! At the risk of being cliché here, I just want to say this is my first posted story, so I will appreciate any feedback you guys have for me. 
> 
> This first chapter is pretty short, more of a teaser then anything, but I wanted to get it out there anyway. Hope you all enjoy!

There was a difference, Anakin thought, between knowing and _knowing_.

Intellectually, he was aware that Mandalorians, and by extension the clones, were different from most sentient species. They could change their shape, from one form that was almost human, to one that resembled scaled down versions of Loth-wolves. Animals given human form, some said.

Meeting the clones was still a shock. 

Truthfully, it was partly his own fault. Padme was off Coruscant, Obi-Wan was in a last minute council meeting, and so he thought it would be a good idea to meet his troops. Officially, they were to be introduced the next day, but he wanted to start off in a less formal setting. 

He got directions to the 501st barracks from a bored looking sentinel just outside the Jedi Temple and headed out. Once inside he asked a passing trooper where he could find the ranking officer. 

“You mean Captain Rex? I think he’s in the training room.”

Anakin thanked him and continued on his way. He spent some time wandering around and getting familiar with the layout of the area. A bit of a pointless exercise when he was going to spend most of his time either off-world or in the temple, but he had nothing better to do at the moment. He passed very few troopers, and he wondered where everyone was. It was the middle of the day, what could they all be doing? 

Finally he found a door marked “501st Training Facility.”

From the other side of the door he could hear men shouting. Growling and barking accompanied it. There must be a fight going on, the sounds were very aggressive. Anakin pushed down the sudden feeling of nerves, took a breath, and opened the door. 

Most of the large room was filled with clones, mostly in human form but a few large wolves were scattered about. They formed a wide ring around two wolves, who were in the middle of a fight. As they wrestled and snapped at each other, Anakin was surprised to see that while one was the standard dark brown, the other was a light tan, almost a pale gold. He found an empty place near the wall to watch the fight. No one noticed his presence, too enthralled by the spectacle before them. 

The wolves broke apart and began to circle each other, ears laid flat and showing teeth. The clones shouted encouragement. 

“Give it to ‘em, Captain!”

“Come on Trip, I have credits riding on you.”

Whistles and howls sounded through the room. Anakin was reminded sharply of the crowds during pod races.

The dark wolf broke off circling and lunged at his opponent. The other met him halfway, rising up on his hind legs to swipe with his claws. The two grappled for a moment, then the dark wolf was knocked off balance. He crashed to the floor, the blond wolf on him in an instant. He pinned his opponent to the ground with his powerful forelegs, then placed his jaws around the throat. The downed wolf went limp instantly. Both cheers and groans went up from the crowd. The blond held his prey a moment longer, then threw his head up and howled. 

Anakin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as something deep inside him reacted instinctively to the sound, and he had to force his hand away from his lightsaber. Before him were large, feral predators, no doubt about it. The fight, even the little bit he had seen, had been savage. And this was a friendly spar, evidently. How was he supposed to lead such creatures?

The blond wolf stepped off the other, and for a moment both their forms seemed to blur. Anakin blinked, and two men stood where the wolves had been, both wearing black uniforms. One man lay on the floor still, and the other reached down to give him a hand up. 

“Good job Trip,” he said. His hair was the same odd color as his fur, and Anakin wondered how that came to be. 

Trip smiled. “Still can’t beat you, sir.”

“You need to work on patience. Don’t make the first move unless you have the advantage.” The man looked at the crowd. “Back to training, you lot.” 

There was some good natured teasing at Trip’s expense, but the crowd dispersed without much fanfare. As the men cleared out, Anakin was left exposed, and the blond man spotted him. 

“What can I do for you, sir?” he asked as he walked up. 

Anakin responded, “I’m looking for Captain Rex.”

“That’s me.”

“I’m Anakin Skywalker, your new general.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with Chapter 2!

One day. 

One day was all that separated Rex from the person he would be serving under. The person who would make battle plans, who would call the shots. 

The person who would hold in their hands the lives of his men.

He paced around the barracks, trying to keep his mind off the impending meeting, as if that would put off the inevitable. He sat on his bunk to clean his armor, only to put the rag down a moment later. There was paperwork to be done, but a mere glance at the stack of datapads threatened to give him a headache. Eventually his fidgeting drew attention. 

“What’s eating ya, Rex?” Denal said, looking up from a nearby bunk. Denal was a close friend, they’d known each other since they were cadets. 

He sighed, coming to sit across from Denal. “Just nervous about tomorrow. We finally meet our Jedi.”

“What do you think he’ll be like?”

The only information given to them was that their general was a human man named Anakin Skywalker. 

“I don’t know, I just hope he's a good one. Able to lead us, you know?” he said. Their official training on Kamino hadn’t covered Jedi in any detail, only that they were warriors with great powers and they were supposed to be loyal to them.

Unofficially, their Mandalorian trainers had told them stories from the Jedi-Mandalorian war. He refused to give much credence to them, he knew Mandos held no love for the Jedi, but some of the things he had heard they were capable of... 

Rex shook his head, banishing the dark thoughts. This line of thinking was what had him in such a mood originally. 

“Well,” Denal said, “You pacing the barracks like a caged nexu isn’t helping the situation or you. Let’s head over to the training room.”

The man was right. Tomorrow would come whether he wanted it to or not, and with it the Jedi. A good workout would help clear his mind. He stood up, and reached out a hand to help Denal up.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

* * *

Trip was the first one to notice them walk into the training room. 

“Hey Captain,” he said, “Are you up for a rematch?”

A few days ago, Rex had given some combat lessons to a group of troopers, Trip among them. He recalled that when they had sparred, he had thoroughly defeated the other man, but afterwards Trip was eager to learn more. This would be a good way for him to let off some steam, and hopefully help Trip improve his skills. 

“What have you got in mind?”

Trip grinned. “Fangs, sir. Same as before.”

“Alright. Standard rules.” 

They walked to a clear area, Denal and a few others who had overheard Trip’s challenge following them. Rex took a breath, and shifted. 

Shifting was almost instantaneous, but he still felt every moment of it. It didn’t hurt but even after living with it his whole life, it was still an odd sensation. Bones changed, muscles stretched, and teeth rearranged until he stood on four legs. His blacks shifted with him and compressed to form a thin collar around his neck, his armor left behind in the barracks. 

Rex took some time to stretch, getting warmed up before the fight. As he was getting ready, more clones gathered around to watch. Rex’s wolf form was very distinctive, having no way to disguise the blond color, and the men were excited to see their captain spar with someone. 

He barked once, indicating he was ready, and he and Trip began circling each other in an age old dance.

His hackles rose as they eyed each other, instincts pulling his lips back to show teeth. One had to be careful when sparring in wolf form, it was easy to get carried away and truly injure the opponent. More than one clone carried a scar from a packmate. 

Trip made the first move, over eager to redeem himself after his previous defeat. He sprang at Rex, trying to knock him off balance by charging into his shoulder. Rex saw this coming, and made a short leap to avoid it. Trip could not recover fast enough to stop Rex from plowing into him, sending them both tumbling to the floor. They snapped at each other as they wrestled, using the flashing teeth not to harm but to confuse. 

For a moment Trip had the upper hand. He was on top of Rex, but every attempt to pin him was expertly avoided. Rex swiped Trip in the face with one paw, and the wolf sprang back, allowing Rex to climb back to his feet. He could hear men shouting and wolves barking in the background, but he ignored them in favor of his opponent.

The battle went on for long minutes. Trip had improved, and seemed determined to make Rex work for a victory. They clashed together and came apart several times, neither able to gain a winning hold. More clones gathered around them, until Rex was sure the whole room was watching the spar, judging from the noise surrounding them. 

Finally Trip grew too impatient, and charged at Rex in a move he could not recover from. In a matter of moments Trip was on the ground, Rex’s teeth around his throat. He went limp, submitting to his loss. As the crowd cheered, he threw up his head and gave voice to his victory.

Adrenaline still surging, he shifted back to human form at the same time as Trip. He reached down and helped Trip to his feet. 

“Good job, Trip,” he said. He didn’t give out praise needlessly, but the trooper had improved considerably. It was clear he had made good use of the rare freetime they’d been granted the last few days. 

Trip smiled, still gracious despite his defeat. “Still can’t beat you, sir.”

“You need to work on patience. Don’t make the first move unless you have the advantage.” Trip had done all the right things, just some at the wrong times. He looked around and saw that indeed, the whole room had stopped their own training to watch the fight. 

“Back to training, you lot,” he said, a hint of sternness to his voice. He looked around for Denal to thank him for dragging him out of the barracks, but instead he found a stranger.

A man stood near the door. He wore plain soft clothes, giving no hint to his identity. Rex wondered what his purpose was. Well, only one way to find out. 

“What can I do for you, sir?” Best to start off polite. 

The man said, “I’m looking for Captain Rex.”

“That’s me.”

“I’m Anakin Skywalker, your new general.”

If Rex had any less self control, his jaw would have hit the ground. Skywalker, here? Today?

He gathered himself quickly and snapped into a solute. “Sir.”

The man seemed taken aback for a moment by his reaction. “At ease Captain. No need for that here.” 

He dropped the salute, but stayed at attention, not sure how else to respond.

“Um, is there somewhere else we could talk? It’s a little crowded in here.” Skywalker asked. They had begun to draw curious glances from the other troopers.

“Yes sir. Right this way.” 

He led the Jedi to an empty room, possibly a spare office space. As they walked, his thoughts raced. What had brought Skywalker here? It could be an intimidation tactic, something to cement his authority. Or could his purpose be more innocent? He risked a glance over. The man looked so young. Rex himself was only ten, but those ten years had been spent training relentlessly for war. He was unsure of himself when guessing nat-born ages, but Skywalker couldn’t be older than twenty. 

They came to the door. He opened it and walked in, turning around to face the General.

“So,” Skywalker began, “You’re my new captain.”

“Yes, sir.”

Skywalker frowned. “Please Rex, relax. You’re making me sore just watching you.”

He consciously relaxed his stance into a more comfortable position. 

“I bet you’re wondering why I’m here.”

He hesitated before answering, “The thought had crossed my mind.”

“I wanted to meet you and the troops before tomorrow. Somewhere we can be less formal, so we can actually get to know each other.” He rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed. 

That was...unexpected. Everything he knew about Jedi had painted them as people who wouldn’t bother with their troops, focusing on the bigger picture. Could he have been wrong, or was Skywalker an exception?

“That’s good to hear, General,” he said.

He was rewarded with a grin. “Great. So, how about a tour? I’ve been sitting entirely too much lately.”

“I’d be happy too, sir.”

They started off, side by side.


End file.
